Disrupted autophagy has been linked to several diseases including Parkinson's, diabetes and cancer, the institute said.

"Intense research is now ongoing to develop drugs that can target autophagy in various diseases," Karolinska said in its citation.

'I Had To Do It': Dylann Roof's Confession Played at Trial

A taped confession played for jurors at Dylann Roof's trial shows the accused killer of nine people laughing and confessing to the murders. "I did it," he said in the tape played on Dec. 9, 2016. "I had to do it." (Published 5 hours ago)

Ohsumi, 71, from Fukuoka, Japan, is a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. In 2012, Ohsumi won the Kyoto Prize, Japan's highest private award for global achievement.

Nobel committee secretary Thomas Perlmann said Ohsumi seemed surprised when he was informed he had won the Nobel Prize.